Needle cooler



Sept. 28, 1954 F. w. ADAMS NEEDLE COOLER Filed July 5, 1952 INVENTOR.FREDERlCK W. ADAMs ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 28, 1954 htdi!) NEEDLECOOLER Frederick W. Adams, New York, N. Y., assignor to Coats & Clark1110., a corporation of Delaware Application July 5, 1952, Serial No.297,270

2 Claims. (01. 1122l8) The present invention relates to improvements ina device for cooling the needle or a. sewing machine.

An object of the present invention is to provide a device for supplyingcontinuous jets of a cooling medium to all sides of the needle of asewing machine during the operation of the machine, which may be readilyattached to the sewing machine without any alterations or changes beingmade therein and which does not interfere with the operators use of thesewing machine. Another object of the invention is to provide a needlecooler in which the flow of the cooling medium may be readily turned onto permit threading of the needle or the like. In addition, a needlecooling device made in accordance with the present invention is ofsimple construction and is economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent and bestunderstood from the following description and the accompanying drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a needle cooler embodying theinvention attached to a sewing machine;

Fig. 2 is a section view taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig, 4 is a section view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of a part of the needle cooler shown in Fig. 1;and

Fig. 6 is a side view of a valve member for the needle cooler shown inFig. 1.

Referring to the drawins in detail, and to Fig. 1 in particular, thereis a sewing machine head I ii in which a needle bar I I is mounted forvertical reciprocation. The needle bar I carries a needle holding chuck12 at its lower end in which the shank of a needle I3 is secured in theusual manner.

The needle cooling device, indicated generally at I4, consists of amember I5 in the form of a ring which surrounds the needle bar I I. Asshown best in Figs. 3 and 4, the needle bar II extends through a bushingI6 which extends downwardly from the head II) of the sewing machine andthe ring I5 may be secured in a fixed position relative to thereciprocating needle bar by attaching it to the bushin It by set screwsIl' or other suitable means.

The ring I5 contains an annular chamber I8 which surrounds the needlebar. The annular chamber has side walls and a top and. bottom.

The top of the annular chamber is formed by an annular plate !9 whichforms a seal with the side walls of the chamber. The plate It may beheld in place by spinning the top ends of the side walls of the chamberover the plate, as indicated at 20. As shown in Fig. l, a number ofspaced inclined passageways 2| extend between the bottom of the annularchamber I8 and outlet openings 22 in the bottom of the ring I5.

The passageways 2I are of a relatively small diameter and are inclinedwith respect to the axis of the needle It so as to direct convergingjets of a cooling medium emerging therefrom, as indicated by the arrowsA, towards a common point that coincides with the center of the ring andwhich is spaced from the bottom thereof. The needle I3 is centrallylocated with respect to the ring and the converging jets strike theneedle from all sides at a point near the eye of the needle when theneedle is raised. Since the ring I5 is held in a fixed position whilethe needle is reciprocated vertically, thi point at which the jetsstrike the needle will vary with movement of the needle during operationof the sewing machine.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, an inlet pipe 23 extends outwardly from theside of the ring I 5 and has a passageway 24 therein which communicateswith the air chamber I8 in the ring for supplying the COOIiIlg mediumthereto. One end of a flexible tube 25 is attached to the end of theinlet pipe 23 and the other end thereof is connected to a supply ofcooling medium under pressure (not shown).

In order to enable the sewing machine operator to shut off thecontinuous jets of the cooling medium emerging from the bottom of therin when the sewing machine is not in use or to prevent interferencewith the threading of the needle, a control valve 26 is provided in theinlet pipe 23. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the valve 26 consists of avalve body 21 formed in the inlet pipe 23. The valve body 21 has anopening 23 therein extending transversely across the passageway 24 inthe inlet pipe 23. A valve plunger 29 is slidably fitted in the opening28 and extends through the valve body. The valve plunger 29 has aportion 38 of reduced diameter intermediate its ends which may bebrought into and out of alignment with the passageway 25 in the inletpipe 23 upon sliding movement of the plunger to open or shut thepassageway M, as the case may be. To prevent removal of the plunger 29from the valve body, the end of the plunger, extending beyond one sideof the valve body, is provided with an enlarged operating knob 3i andthe end of the plunger, extending beyond the other side of the valvebody, carries a washer 32 which bears against the outside of the bodywhen the valve is open.

The diameter and length of the converging passageways 2| in the ring I5should be proportioned with respect to the pressure of the coolingmedium so that the jets striking the needle will contain a, turbulentmovement of the :cooling 'medium and will be-of substantiallyuniformcross-section until they impinge upon the needle. This isdesirable to obtain an efiective and efficient coolin action.

As will be seen from the foregoing, the present needle cooler directs apluralityof continuousjets of the cooling medium againstiall sidessofthe reciprocating needle at all times unless the valve 26 is closed andbecause it is held-in'a fixe'd posi tion relative to the reciprocatingneedle .and needle bar, it will not interfere with or strike the handsof the operator .of the sewing machine. ,It will be understood thatvarious modifications may be made by those skilledfin the art in theembodimerit of the invention illustrated and described herein withoutdeparting from 'the scope of .the invention as defined 'bythe followingclaims.

.1. In a sewing machine of the type having a head, a needle bar mountedfor vertical reciprocation in said headiandproje'cting "therefromand asew'ingneedle carried by the needle bar, the'improvement which comprisesamemberhaving an upper and a lower :face with an opening extendingbetween-said 'faces, said member containing a chamber surrounding saidopening and having a series of discharge outlets in the lower facethereof spaced around said opening, means for attaching said member in afixed position on a sewing machine head with a reciprocable needle barprojecting through the opening therein, inclined passageways in saidmember communicating with the chamber therein and the discharge outlets,said passageways converging in a downward directioniand directingconverging jet-sofa cooling medium toward an eye of a needle carried bythe meedle bar at a raised position of the needle bar and toward a bodyportion of the needle at a lowered position of the needle bar, a fittingcarried :by the .chamberedmember and communicating with-thechamberitherein and valve means in said fitting for controllingcommunication through -.said= fitting with said chamber.

2. ,In --a sewing machine, the improvement as defined in claim 1 whereinthe chambered member is annular in shape and has a central openingtherein "through which the needle "bar .of the sewing mac'hineprojects.

References Cited in the idle of this -patent UNITED .STA'IES PATENTSNumber .:Name Date ,lgfifiligfillfi ..-Marsh Sept. 57., 1926;2:,4213,l96 iRubel. July 15., 19-4 7 2342;033 :Brantly et a1. May 25,,19.48 2,49xl,:,'6Z-:5 Allen, :Dec. 20, .1949 $593,203 Schwartz :Apr..15., 1952

